Biggest Game Coaching mistake Calhoun ever made

[LoveThemHusky]

Curtis Kelly leaving UConn

 

[CallMeBruce]

Curtis Kelly leaving UConn

He would have been nice to have in 2010, but there were never really enough minutes for him after it became clear he wasn't going to outplay Edwards.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I do think if we didn't finish the comeback against Duke that the -18 or whatever it was we had with Emeka on the bench would be a more painful pill than Caron sitting. We rolled the dice a bit that we'd have enough time to regroup. If Williams doesn't foul out it might have been a case of the strategy failing.

The fact that Emeka was the lone big standing showed that JC correctly gauged how the game would be called.

However, it still took a bit of luck on our part that we ended up on the right side of the final score. If Rashad misses that 3 with 2:40 to go, down 8, we probably run out of time for a comeback, and JC is rightfully criticized for not gambling when the game was clearly turning against us in the first half.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It's not luck when a guy who makes big shots makes a big shot. If Thabeet (or, say, Roy Hibbert) had hit a wing three down the stretch of a final four game, fine, you can call it luck, but not a guy who made his name making shots.

 

[aceboon]

The fact that Emeka was the lone big standing showed that JC correctly gauged how the game would be called.

However, it still took a bit of luck on our part that we ended up on the right side of the final score. If Rashad misses that 3 with 2:40 to go, down 8, we probably run out of time for a comeback, and JC is rightfully criticized for not gambling when the game was clearly turning against us in the first half.

Taliek pushing the ball off a rebound and finding Rashad wide open in the corner off of transition isn't luck, its called good basketball

 

[elduderino]

I would go with just about anything from the 2005-2006 or 2011-2012 seasons. Two of our most talented and disappointing teams.

 

[selles]

It's not luck when a guy who makes big shots makes a big shot. If Thabeet (or, say, Roy Hibbert) had hit a wing three down the stretch of a final four game, fine, you can call it luck, but not a guy who made his name making shots.

Agreed, especially when he'd just done the same thing to Pitt in the BET.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think he left Greg Economou in too long vs GTown his 2nd year at the helm……….

 

[intlzncster]

I think he left Greg Economou in too long vs GTown his 2nd year at the helm……….

The honeymoon was over after one season, huh MA?

 

[mauconnfan]

The honeymoon was over after one season, huh MA?

Yeah……….guess I just find it hard to look for JC's biggest mistake………..but it seems like a fun thread.

 

[johnhuskies95]

I didn't like the defensive game plan against Michigan State in the final four. MSU took 72 shots.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It's not luck when a guy who makes big shots makes a big shot. If Thabeet (or, say, Roy Hibbert) had hit a wing three down the stretch of a final four game, fine, you can call it luck, but not a guy who made his name making shots.

Taliek pushing the ball off a rebound and finding Rashad wide open in the corner off of transition isn't luck, its called good basketball

It was a tremendous play, and the shot itself certainly wasn't "luck".

I'm simply illustrating how little had to go differently for the story to go from "JC was a genius" to "JC was an idiot".

 

[intlzncster]

It was a tremendous play, and the shot itself certainly wasn't "luck".

I'm simply illustrating how little had to go differently for the story to go from "JC was a genius" to "JC was an idiot".

If Langdon doesn't travel, maybe JC ends his career with no Championships. Or leaves for SC.

 

[David 76]

I think the Duke game was great. One slippery possession from winning. We were not going to beat UNLV anyway. I don't think there is a real coaching mistake here.
FL was an ugly game and we were the far superior team. Maybe JC's doghouse was too rigid. Maybe this one wins. And still, though it should not have come down to the last possession in regulation, it did. Just hit one of two and we all don't remember this so painfully.
The GM game was painful too. Not sure if I put it quite as much on JC.

I think regular season. if the team is playing like they did with FL and GM, JC sits all the starters and plays the bench. Because it was the tournament and we could not get over the FF hump he backed off his regular tendency.

 

[SixRings]

Great question Nelson. Hard to complain about JC but he did lose some so I guess you can say there were mistakes made.

1) We were outplayed by an inferior George Mason team. Yeah Boone and Armstrong were sleepy but our defense overall just sucked. It was like we knew we were going to lose and had to. JC should have mixed it up and found answers.
2) JC admits this himself: should have recruited Gomes. Would have been incredible.
3) Thought we could have beaten MSU in 09. Again defense was scattered, nobody amped up - other than Izzo, and lots of missed free throws which is always the coaches fault.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The hardest losses for mere were...

Number 3 for me was the 2006 George Mason game. Yeah, Mason played with heart and had the crowd as the underdog and was playing 20 miles away from their campus; but, it felt like UConn came to the game expecting to win and mailed it. Other teams have done that before in all sports. Not sure what JC could have done. By the end of the game I was not surprised nor upset, just sad. UConn's 2011 and 2014 team would have ripped that UConn team apart.

Number 2 was the 1995 West Final against UCLA in Oakland, which gave the Bruins a slight home court edge. Nevertheless, that UConn team was good, maybe second best that year; but, they tried running with the one team that could outscore them and that's exactly what happened (102-96). I watched the game on TV Geneva (studying in France) and was cursing up a storm in French and English begging Calhoun to go defensive because offensive was not going to win it. Only good thing, is a UCLA co-ed I met on the train to Munich the next day took pity on my and I greatly enjoyed her company as we shared a hostel room to save some money.

Number 1 was the damn 1994 East Regional in Miami against Florida. UConn had that game. I could taste celebrating a Final 4 birth on campus and they let it through their fingers. They played sloppy after knocking Florida down, made some mistakes, like those damn free throws, and let Florida back up. The exact opposite of what the 2014 team did. I remember seeing Donyell in the cafeteria a few days later with that goofy grin on his face. I literally wanted to go over an smack him like Jethro Gibbs does on NCIS. Of course, I didn't and couldn't as I punched the damn cinder block wall in Alumni so hard after the game ended that my right hand was wrapped-up for days.

 

[Horatio]

The 2006 and 2009 teams were recruited and built to win it all. Their demise was not Calhoun's coaching. Those teams lost based on their rosters.

In the 2006 the team was 30-4 but only had two ball handlers- Marcus Williams and a freshman Craig Austrie. Rob Garrison was also there as a freshman but I'm not sure he played. As good as Rashad, Rudy and Denham were they were not ball handlers. "Circuit City" AJ Price was supposed to be there and would've made a huge difference against George Mason. That teamed was flawed.

In 2009 we finally got AJ Price to the Final Four but Dyson was out. Our guards for that game were AJ , Craig Austrie and a young Kemba. That team was supposed to have Doug Wiggins on it and as I recall he was no " Scrub". He would of made a difference.

We won in 1999 , 2011 and more so in 2014 by having multiple guards. This seems to be our winning formula.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Boone and Armstrong were so awful against George Mason that I think that not only Adrien, but even Nelson should have also gotten more minutes, if for no other reason than to light a fire under Boone and Armstrong. Calhoun was pretty hot at Boone the whole game, but Armstrong played 37 minutes and basically got a pass.

I dont dwell on losses for some reason. You win some you lose some and you just have to move on. That being said i still cant believe how HORRIBLE Josh and Hilt were in that game. I mean they couldnt guard a mop. Its like GM guys would get the ball turn shoot and in every time. I knew that team was not going to win the title that year. they just didnt have that IT factor.

 

[Tenspro2002]

In 2009 we finally got AJ Price to the Final Four but Dyson was out. Our guards for that game were AJ , Craig Austrie and a young Kemba. That team was supposed to have Doug Wiggins on it and as I recall he was no " Scrub". He would of made a difference.

Wiggins was a piece of and wouldn't have made a difference.

What would have made a difference is if Kemba had had an average game, rather than one of the worst performances in a Tournament game in program history (1-5 from the field, 3-9 from the line, 4 turnovers).* If he had been able to take even a little pressure off of AJ, both of them would have had better games and we would have won.

* One of the under-heralded storylines of our 2011 run was the Kemba Redemption Tour, getting back to the Final Four, performing well, and winning.

 

[4UConn]

Wiggins was a piece of and wouldn't have made a difference.

What would have made a difference is if Kemba had had an average game, rather than one of the worst performances in a Tournament game in program history (1-5 from the field, 3-9 from the line, 4 turnovers). If he had been able to take even a little pressure off of AJ, both of them would have had better games and we would have won.

One of the under-heralded storylines of our 2011 run was the Kemba Redemption Tour, getting back to the Final Four, performing well, and winning.

Interesting post...what I remember about that game was our inability to transition on defense. Michigan State hammered us with long passes down the court leading to easy scoring opportunities. For whatever reason, JC did not have any answers. Your point is well taken, had Kemba and company shot better, less transition points.

 

[Deadrody]

I think it was against #1 Kansas when Moore and King were kept out by NCAA. I believe we had a 21 point lead and blew it after half time trying to protect the lead.

Or maybe, the #1 team in the country was just, you know, better than the freshman versions of Rip, Jake, and KFree, especially with King and Moore out of the game.

 

[Gurleyman]

Wiggins was a piece of and wouldn't have made a difference. What would have made a difference is if Kemba had had an average game, rather than one of the worst performances in a Tournament game in program history (1-5 from the field, 3-9 from the line, 4 turnovers). If he had been able to take even a little pressure off of AJ, both of them would have had better games and we would have won. One of the under-heralded storylines of our 2011 run was the Kemba Redemption Tour, getting back to the Final Four, performing well, and winning.

That's backwards. AJ (5-20, 1 assist) was the senior leader - Kemba was a 20 mpg spark off the bench. AJ's job is to step up and take pressure off the younger guys, not the other way around. Kasey Hill stunk against us (2-6, 0 assists, 4 turnovers), but the story of the Gator struggles was Wilbekin. If Hill plays well in two years nobody will be talking about his redemption tour, since the loss wasn't on him - the problem was the veteran guys in front of him.

 

[UConn76]

The way we were playing that tournament (wasn't just one game), I don't think we beat Florida that year.

We had the talent that year..and will always think that the team would have stepped up in the bright lights of the Final Four...

 

[Deadrody]

I also think sitting Caron with 2 fouls was a mistake against Maryland, and it was almost a mistake to sit Emeka with 2 fouls against dook. Caron only ended up with 3 fouls, and Emeka was a smart enough player to know how to keep himself from fouling out..

This is so unbelievably dumb. Emeka was smart enough to know how to keep himself from fouling out, but not smart enough to avoid picking up 2 fouls in the first two minutes of the game.

That is utterly moronic

 

[Deadrody]

I think regular season. if the team is playing like they did with FL and GM, JC sits all the starters and plays the bench. Because it was the tournament and we could not get over the FF hump he backed off his regular tendency.

Right. JC "couldn't get over the FF hump" in 1994. When his team had been to the final eight one time, in their first NCAA appearance. There was no "FF hump" to speak of, at least until after the 1994 loss, but moreso after the loss in the final eight in 1995. The very idea that Calhoun went against his own tendencies is pretty laughable, but to claim he did so because he "couldn't get over the FF hump" in 1994 is just unfathomably ridiculous.

It is amazing the revisionist history flying around here.